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Question No. 3574 10 September 2026 Official answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) verified Content level: Intermediate

Is Fanāʾ the Erasure of the Servant or the Manifestation of the Lord?

Primary reference: See the answer text 48 views 23 explanatory notes and annotations
Verified answer Documented and evidence-based
Dear questioner, Master Ali Saei
Tracking code: #Q-3574

Peace be upon you,

Is fanāʾ

the erasure of the servant,

or the manifestation

of the Lord?
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

The annihilation and abiding of all beings are both signs of the will of the Exalted Lord. The annihilation of beings manifests the Creator’s will that they pass away, while their abiding manifests His will that they endure. In both states—annihilation and abiding—the divine majesty, perfection, and will are manifest at their fullest, and nothing can stand in the way of the manifestation of God’s will.

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural Center

The continued existence of beings is the manifestation of the Creator’s will that they endure; their passing away is the manifestation of His will that they perish.
Both endurance and perishing are signs of the Exalted Lord’s will, like confirmation and erasure.
In either state—whether endurance or perishing—the glory, perfection, and will of God are manifested in their fullness.
Neither endurance, nor perishing, nor anything else can stand in the way of the manifestation of God’s will!

يس : 82 إِنَّما أَمْرُهُ إِذا أَرادَ شَيْئاً أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
His command is such that whenever He wills something, He only says to it, “Be!” and it comes into being at once.

هود : 107 خالِدينَ فيها ما دامَتِ السَّماواتُ وَ الْأَرْضُ إِلاَّ ما شاءَ رَبُّكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِما يُريدُ
They will abide there for as long as the heavens and the earth endure, unless your Lord wills otherwise. Your Lord does whatever He wills!

الرعد : 39 يَمْحُوا اللَّهُ ما يَشاءُ وَ يُثْبِتُ وَ عِنْدَهُ أُمُّ الْكِتابِ
God effaces whatever He wills and confirms whatever He wills; and with Him is the Mother of the Book.

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